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Aruba Airwave vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Airwave
Ranking in Network Management Applications
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco DNA Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (13th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 6.4%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 25.1%, down from 29.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution has multi-vendor support, and it can be used for network management
Aruba Airwave is an on-prem solution, so you have to manage it with your servers to be deployed. You can also deploy it on the cloud if you have your own private cloud. All the configuration guides and the different types of designs you need are available from Aruba Airwave's portal. I would recommend Aruba Airwave to other users. Overall, I rate Aruba Airwave ten out of ten.
AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."
"The technical support services are good."
"It facilitated creating floor maps."
"This solution gives you a lot of reporting capabilities, and it has a very good interface."
"I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten."
"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."
"This solution is definitely stable."
"The Clarity feature makes it easy to use and understand what is going on with your network in a nice dashboard.​"
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration."
"I like that we can easily configure any new hardware. It's also easy to deploy and easy to troubleshoot."
"The solution helps with the management and orchestration of campaigns. It helps with visibility and analytics. I also like its SDA configuration."
"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."
"It does a lot of things automatically, and that's the big thing with it. They're making the software so that you don't need to be as knowledgeable as me on the switching and routing side to get your work done. If you want, you can have DNA troubleshoot your problem for you and give you solutions or fix it itself, if it was something that's just a configuration issue."
"I think that their LAN automation is a very good feature."
"I like the visibility, instant build, network, policies, and the ability to control access. I also like that you can visualize your whole network."
"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."
 

Cons

"The integration with other platforms like Cisco needs to be improved."
"I would like to see an integration of services into one system, rather than having multiple systems to do multiple things."
"The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers."
"Pricing for Aruba Airwave could be cheaper, which is an area for improvement in the solution."
"Whenever you get an error it doesn't immediately tell you what the thing is that is causing the error. You have to sit down and research it. If it could say what error is causing the issue, it would make my troubleshooting a lot quicker."
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with Airwave."
"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."
"The solution's setup process needs enhancement."
"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."
"The product has many features that do not work properly."
"The cost is very high."
"The network, data center, and SD-WAN are all being treated as different services, but I would like to have only one solution to manage all of them."
"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."
"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."
"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."
"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."
"The licensing is on an yearly basis."
"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."
"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."
"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."
"The product is very costly."
"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."
"Licensing for Cisco DNA Center is a little bit expensive, just like any Cisco solution. Its cost could still be improved."
"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."
"We have a three-year license with them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?
When attempting to copy a floor plan, it does not copy well, so I often have to redraw the walls. It's somewhat annoying since other Wi-Fi design software we use is easier for drawing walls and inc...
What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.